9 October 2007 World In Conflict

BAJOWorld In Conflict (WIC) is set in an alternate universe where the cold war never ended, and Russia has invaded America! It's all up to you to push them back into the sea. Russia's getting a regular spot as the villain now days aren't they Jung?

JUNGAhh yes that old chestnut! Resistance fall of man and freedom fighters did the same thing, but that's not to say it's a bad idea. The single player campaign is fought in various locations, including a faithful recreation of Seattle, the obligatory inclusion of New York,

BAJOAnd - just so they could actually call it 'World' in Conflict - a few missions in Europe.

JUNGThat said, the developers have spent a lot of time crafting a believable and engaging storyline which tries to get the player emotionally involved, and on this point it succeeds very well.

BAJOThat's right Jung. I found that this was largely thanks to the games environments and battlefields. There's artillery exploding everywhere and buildings crashing down. The draw distances are massive! - You can see paratroopers floating down in the background, and tracer fire shooting into the sky.

JUNGMost single player missions also have you fighting alongside allies, and all of these things put together makes you feel like you're fighting in a bigger war, not just a few small skirmishes.

BAJOMulti player is an even bigger pressure cooker, with games supporting up to 16 players. It uses a drop in, drop out system which is common to FPS players, but almost unheard of for RTS.

JUNGLISTIn terms of actual game play, there's a big emphasis on action and tactics rather than deep-thinking strategy. Instead of building bases, you choose a drop zone, then parachute units in. You only have a limited number of reinforcement points, so you only get a handful of units to use at a time. You also have large number of tactical aid options at your disposal, like air strikes and artillery barrages.

BAJOUsually your main objective will be to secure control points on the map with your units, but other missions will see you providing support to allies, or defending against the horde of the Red Army.

Also traditional RTS players might take a little while to get used to the camera feature.

JUNGIt's also a bit difficult to determine where the fog of war starts and ends, meaning despite being able to see all the terrain, you can't tell where your field of vision starts and ends. This means tanks suddenly pop out of thin air when they enter your vision radius. It's not a huge flaw, but it's there. Bajo, Chicken time?

BAJOIf you've played Company Of Heroes right through, you'll know this one level where you have to hold 3 bridges, and then everything goes nuts and you have to pull out. WIC is like this all the way through. It's hectic and fun I'll give it a 9 as well. It's good to see something that claims to be a different type of RTS, and actually is.

JUNGIt's an innovative game, and certainly provides a new take on the RTS genre. The ability to jump in and get your quick fix of gaming without having to commit to a match that may last hours works. 8.5/10 from me.